Ratchet And Clank: The Second Great War
by samanan7
Summary: It's been three years since Ratchet and Clank ended the Netherverse Crisis. Things have been going relatively well for them, but Talwyn has just summoned them to her office at the Polaris Defense Force's headquarters on Igliak, claiming she has something important to tell them. Little do they know, things are never going to be the same again... Cover art done by The-Magpie from DA.
1. Chapter 1: Anomalous Occurences

**Author's note: This is samanan7 from Deviantart! This account is being used to upload my second great war story with the chapter updates that are being applied! This marks my return to the site from my old account with the original version of the story! I'd like to thank TheWhiteGuardian and TheLilyOfTheValley for their work on our project! The story up to chapter twenty can be viewed on DA, but here I'm only uploading the chapters that are edited and refined! Also, we have a discord for the story, PM me if you want the link! As always, comments are appreciated!**

"Any idea as to why exactly Tal wants us to go check this one out?" Ratchet asked Clank as they stepped out of the large elevator. "Last time I checked there were thousands of skilled soldiers at her disposal."

"That is correct. I can only assume there is something special about this particular errand that Ms. Apogee requires our expertise. That, or perhaps she does not trust anyone but us with this information."

"Well, it better be special, I skipped breakfast for this," Ratchet said as his stomach gave an agreeing growl. "We better go and grab a bite to eat first before we go on whatever mission Talwyn has for us."

Clank glared at his friend as they walked through the long hallway. "I assume you will not stop putting the wellbeing of the galaxy behind your own hunger for food anytime soon?"

"Hey, a Lombax's gotta eat, pal. You of all people should know that."

At that moment they arrived at the office of the captain of the Polaris Defense Force. The two bulky robot soldiers in front of the door raised their weapons slightly, eyeing the two as they approached.

"Ratchet and Clank," Clank stated as he gestured his arms toward Ratchet and himself. "We have an appointment with Ms. Apogee."

One of the soldiers pressed a button on the speaker next to him. "Captain Apogee? Ratchet and Clank are here to see you."

"Yes, please, send them in," Talwyn replied, her firm voice crackling out of the speaker.

The two soldiers gave the Lombax and the little robot a polite nod before stepping aside and letting the duo pass.

The reinforced steel door slid open, and the two stepped inside the large office of the PDF's captain. At the other end of the room, Talwyn sat behind a beautifully carved desk, the tall windows behind her bathing her in Igliak's afternoon light. A stoic look adorned her face, and the Markazian watched as the duo made their way over to her desk.

"What's with all the guns?" Ratchet asked after the door closed behind them.

"Standard security protocol," Talwyn said stiffly before softening her expression. "But it doesn't matter. Have a seat, guys. What you're about to see here is gonna be quite interesting.

The two heroes plopped down in the plush blue chairs facing the desk, and leaned in as they waited for Talwyn to begin.

She pressed a button on her desk and the windows' transparency decreased, darkening the room. A projector then turned on, displaying whatever it had to show on the window behind Talwyn. A sandy brown planet with deep, visible canyons strewn across its surface, almost like rough scars, popped up onto the screen. Ratchet and Clank had first seen it just a few years earlier, although it hadn't made a good first impression.

 _"What the… Where is everybody?"_

 _"I tried to tell you Ratchet. The database said this planet was deserted ages ago…"_

Fastoon…

"First off, I assume you two recognize this planet?"

"Fastoon, of course, how could we forget?" Ratchet murmured, his memories of the desert planet flooding his mind.

Talwyn nodded. "Just making sure." A small, sad smile appeared on her face. "It's certainly been a long while since we were on Fastoon…"

As her smile turned into frown, she stood up and cleared her throat. "Alright, I'll cut to the chase. A couple of days ago, we received various witness reports describing strange phenomena on the planet's surface, something like odd, bright flashes. The witnesses described it happening around here," Talwyn explained, pointing at a location in the planet's upper hemisphere.

"In response to these claims, I ordered the lab guys to move the Fastoon defense satellite orbit over it. Yesterday I received the results." She walked back to her computer and typed in what she needed. "Check it out, and tell me what you think."

The projector then cut to a video that was clearly taken from an orbiting spacecraft. It showed the ruined capital city of Fastoon, and slowly an old square of some kind slid into view.

Suddenly, there was a bright flash, and Ratchet blinked rapidly to adjust his eyes. When the light faded, they could see a group of figures run out and into the city, disappearing in the ruins.

"I asked the tech guys to clean up the footage a little, to see if they can give us a clearer indication of what happened. They managed to pull up several other kinds of data recorded by the satellite, as well as lowering the brightness and speed so we can see what happened there," Talwyn said. The video replayed, but this time several other values were shown in multiple graphs and lists on the right side of the screen.

Then the video got to the point where the flash occurred. Ratchet gasped and Clank's jaw dropped as they saw what was behind the bright light.

A wormhole seemed to open, some kind of portal, and they could see the figures come out. They were still too small from up in space to properly identify them, but there were beings there.

"What really bothers me is... well... look at the data on the right," Talwyn said.

"There seems to have been a spike in the levels of various kinds of radiation, as well as a brief increase in gravity!" Clank exclaimed, his optics wide with surprise.

"Exactly. It actually nearly pulled the satellite out of orbit," Talwyn said, biting her lip in worry.

"Those things we saw... whatever this is... it honestly scares me a bit."

"Aaaaand that's why you want us to check it out," Ratchet said.

"Exactly. That, and, well-" her eyes locked onto Ratchet's, and the Lombax could see the worry in her eyes "-this mission really hits home for you quite literally, huh?"

Ratchet nodded, flashing Talwyn a comforting smile. "You got it Tal. Clank and I can check it out and be back with answers in no time. It's no problem."

Talwyn looked at them with concern, but shook her head and sighed. "I know you two can probably handle this, but just... be careful, okay?"

Clank stood up on his chair and looked to Talwyn. "Do not worry Ms. Apogee, we shall be fine while investigating planet Fastoon. With my sensors and Ratchet's combat skills, we should be able to handle anything that comes our way."

Talwyn visibly relaxed a bit, and the Markazian breathed a sigh of relief. "I'll send the coordinates of the event to Aphelion. And… I've got something for you guys to use while investigating. Head to the labs on floor six and ask for Project Synced Mind. It's an experimental headset that should allow me to see what you see. We've been itching to test it out in a long-distance setting and, well, this is a perfect opportunity."

Ratchet nodded and gave a mock salute. "Aye aye captain," he joked as he got up. Clank hopped onto his back. "I'll go get that new toy you want me to test out. Thanks for the early Christmas present Tal!" he teased as Talwyn rolled her eyes and smiled.

"Goodbye, Ms. Apogee. We shall contact you as soon as we reach the surface of the planet," Clank said, waving her goodbye as Ratchet walked them out the door.

Talwyn shook her head and chuckled as she sat back down at her desk. As she pulled up a bit of paperwork to do while she waited for Ratchet and Clank to get back to her, her eyes drifted to the few framed pictures on her desk. One held a picture of her, Cronk, and Zephyr of when she had been a child, and the other was a picture of her, Ratchet, and Clank on a day out. Each face held a lively grin, and Talwyn's mind replayed the happier memories. Her eyes lingered on the heroic duo she just sent away, and her earlier anxiety returned.

"Orvus…" she breathed, her fingers shaking slightly as she closed her eyes "…please keep them safe."

After picking up Project Synced Mind, Ratchet and Clank headed to Aphelion, where Ratchet had parked right outside the building on the VIP landing pad. They hopped in as the security around the Defense Force building cleared their exit.

Ignoring his stomach, much to Clank's relief, Ratchet instructed Aphelion to load the coordinates Talwyn provided and plot a course.

"Fastoon? It's been ages since we've been there," Aphelion said as Ratchet and Clank fastened their seatbelts. "Seeing the ruins always saddens me."

Ratchet nodded. "You're not the only one who feels that way, Aphelion," he murmured as he began to fly Aphelion out of Igliak's icy blue atmosphere.

* * *

About two hours later they entered Fastoon's dusty atmosphere, and everything seemed to have stayed the same way they had left it years before. The same dusty plains and deep canyons flew under them as they made their way to the planet's surface. After a few minutes of tracking down a good landing spot, they landed exactly where the anomaly had been, climbed out of Aphelion, and began their search.

After a few minutes of searching the dusty, desert landscape, Clank spoke up from Ratchet's back. "Perhaps you should put on the helmet we picked up from the lab."

Ratchet nodded as Clank handed him the helmet. The helmet was small and silver, something that wouldn't bother Ratchet as he wore it. A tiny lens was visible on the hood of the helmet, and Ratchet shrugged as he finished studying the device. "Alright, pal. Let's test this thing out."

Ratchet slowly put on Project Synced Mind and wrote, 'Tal, I hope you can read this' in the sand.

"This project has a built-in speech function, you know," Talwyn said through a speaker near Ratchet's ear, making the Lombax jump.

"Good to know," he grumbled as Talwyn and Clank chuckled.

Ratchet sprinted down the same path the figures took, using Clank's Thruster Pack to climb the large pieces of debris and scanning the open area from above. The dusty atmosphere made it hard to see, and Ratchet squinted out into the open area, trying to find any sign of the mysterious figures.

"You see anything, Tal? Clank?" Ratchet asked.

"Nope, nothing," Talwyn replied. "I don't see any footprints or hints of possible activity either."

Clank opened his mouth to speak before tensing. "I am detecting movement!" Clank suddenly exclaimed. "On your right, Ratchet!"

Ratchet turned in that direction, whipping into a defensive pose. "Clank… I don't see anything, only dust and ruins."

"Movement behind you!" Clank suddenly warned

Ratchet turned around, carefully scanning his environment for potential threats, Omniwrench Millennium 12 in hand and ready to strike.

"Movement directly ahead of you, and lots of it!"

"Where?!"

"Movement everywhere, we are surrounded!"

Ratchet felt paranoia rise in his chest as his eyes darted around the sandy environment around them. "What's going on Clank?! Are you playing games with me?!"

The little robot's mouth snapped shut. He waited a second before murmuring, "Ratchet, do not question me and listen closely. On three, you turn around and run. Ready? One… Two…"

The moment Clank said "Three," Ratchet bolted back the way they came. As the yellow Lombax shot forward, Clank scanned the area he could see in infrared and kept his motion detectors at the ready.

"Interesting."

Ratchet screeched to a halt and turned his head to Clank as he tried to catch his breath. "What?" he asked.

"I do see movement, but whatever we are dealing with does not seem to be radiating infrared light," Clank explained, continuing to run scans over the area.

Ratchet raised an eyebrow. "Which means…?"

Talwyn's voice snapped out over the com link. "It's likely cold-blooded or armored or something!" Tal yelled. "Ratchet, you guys could be in serious danger! Run! Get out of there!"

And Ratchet did run, until he reached another square surrounded by ruins. "Ratchet, stop!" Clank commanded, and Ratchet stopped dead in his tracks.

"I am detecting movement everywhere!"

"Yeah, but I still don't see any- wait, what was that?"

Ratchet swore that he saw something move out of the corner of his eye, inside a building. The Lombax turned to face the broken building and searched for whatever it was that he saw.

And then he saw it. Standing in the shadows was a figure, and Ratchet could faintly see a green glow. "What the he-"

He didn't finish his sentence.

"Ratchet, watch out!" Clank tried to warn him, but it was too late. Something slammed into them before they could identify what it was. Ratchet yelped and fell. The right side of his neck suddenly stung, and his hand slapped at the area. With a grimace, he pulled something out of his neck.

He stared at the dart in confusion as world began to spin, and after a moment, Ratchet lost consciousness.

A few seconds later, Project Synced Mind lost the connection to the Polaris Defense Force headquarters. Talwyn gasped in fear, her mind and heart praying that she hadn't just lost the only two creatures left in the galaxy that she considered her family.

"Ratchet?! Clank?! NO!"


	2. Chapter 2: Surprise, Surprise

The world was a blur to Ratchet, like a camera out of focus. Slowly but surely, his vision cleared and he sat up, a hand held up to steady his dizzy head. He currently sat on a worn mattress, the only piece of furniture in the small room he was in. The walls were made of slate grey rocks, and the ground was covered in dust. Light filtered through some small openings in the wall to his left, but what caught Ratchet's attention was the heavily-armored creature in front of him.

Behind a door made of metal bars was the figure Ratchet had seen earlier. Now that the being was right in front of him, he could finally make out its appearance clearly.

The figure wore black armor with gray plating, some parts of the armor, like the visor, were a glowing green. Long, triangular ears and an even longer tail, both covered in the black armor, raised defensively as Ratchet locked eyes with the creature.

"So, you're awake at last," the figure said with a deep, artificially-produced voice.

"Who are you?" Ratchet asked, eyeing the figure warily.

The figure shook its head and crossed its arms behind its back. "I'm not going to reply to anything until you have answered my questions. Now, who are you and what are you doing on Fastoon?"

"My name's Ratchet, I never knew my last name. I'm on Fastoon on behalf of the Polaris Defense Force," Ratchet replied.

"The PDF? Why?"

Ratchet thought back to the report Talwyn had explained. "Various witnesses reported seeing strange flashes of light coming from the planet's surface. After some orbital satellites confirmed these claims, I was sent to investigate."

"What's your rank within the PDF?"

"I'm not with the PDF, I'm here on behalf of the PDF, like I said before. I'm actually a hero," Ratchet said. "I've saved this galaxy and two neighboring galaxies various times, so the PDF sent me to investigate. Partly because I'm the most experienced, and partly because, well, missions on Fastoon kinda hit home for me," he added sheepishly.

"Fastoon? You live here?"

"Oh, no, I didn't mean that in a literal sense. When I'm in Solana, I live on planet Veldin, in Bogon on planet Endako, and in Polaris on planet Igliak." Ratchet crossed his arms over his chest. "But Fastoon is my people's home, and while I've never really had the chance to live here, I still value where my kind originated."

The figure nodded. It was silent for a moment before speaking up again. "What about the Cragmite?"

"Tachyon? I was the guy responsible for his downfall," Ratchet said. "Left him to die in another dimension."

"So... you're telling me that Percival Tachyon is stranded in some dimension because of your actions?"

"Pretty much."

"Can you back this up with any evidence?" the being asked, crossing its arms. "How do we know you aren't one of Tachyon's spies?"

Ratchet froze. He had no evidence on hand. "I... I don't know how I can prove it."

"Then tell me everything," it commanded. "Maybe the details can tell me what I need to know."

And Ratchet told the whole story. From the invasion of Kerwan to the showdown in the Court of Azimuth. He made sure to retell every detail of the adventure, only omitting the Zoni and Clank's capture. As he told the story, the figure stayed stock still, continuing to stare motionlessly at the yellow Lombax.

As Ratchet finally ended his retelling, the figure's visor retracted. Deep, red fur and brown eyes appeared, and Ratchet did everything he could to hold back his shock.

It was a Lombax.

"I believe you," he said slowly, the voice morpher gone and his normal voice back. "What you say checks out. Earlier we checked the Court for any provisions and it was chaos. According to our own lab techs, the space-time fabric was heavily damaged there, as if the rules of nature had been violated, and the old Dimensionator definitely is capable of producing these signs."

He smiled. "We also ran a few tests on you while you were unconscious… I took a few hairs and a sample of your saliva and sent it to the makeshift lab here, and the guys there reported back that you're definitely a Lombax. They ran it through every test they could think of -DNA analysis, cellular composition, spectral analysis- and every single time the results were a positive match. I believe your story."

The armored Lombax unlocked the cell door, and motioned for Ratchet to follow him. "I better get you out of here… Watchman would probably like to speak with you in person."

With a sigh of relief, Ratchet stood up from the mattress and headed out the cell door. After the armored Lombax closed the cell door behind him, he offered up his hand.

"Honored to meet you. Lieutenant Samuel Kepler at your service, though please, call me by my last name. I never use my first," he said with a smile.

"Alright then, Kepler. Name's Ratchet, like I said before," Ratchet replied, shaking Kepler's hand.

"Come on, I'll take you to Watchman," Kepler said as he walked off, Ratchet following close behind.

They walked past five empty cells before they reached a rusty metal door. Kepler opened the door, revealing the familiar ruins of the Lombax city. "We didn't really expect to have to take prisoners, you know, so we just improvised and used an old and broken prison instead," Kepler explained. "Don't worry though, we were sure it wouldn't come down on you or any of us."

"I'm guessing the first time you guys saw me you had quite the surprise, huh?" Ratchet asked.

"Oh! By the way, where's Clank?"

"Well," Kepler began as they began walking out, "look at it from our perspective, coming across an armed Lombax in the middle of a broken city, one that was scanning the area visually with a helmet that transmitted video and audio back to an unknown location, we were pretty certain that you were a spy with a hologuise or a mercenary. We took you prisoner so that we could ensure that we weren't gunning down an innocent Lombax. And who's Clank?"

"Clank? I had him on my back when you guys shot at me." Ratchet held up his hands to mimic Clank's height. "Little robot with a hex-mount port on his back, green optics, enough logic in his head to confuse a Terachnoid?"

"Oh, that robot." Ratchet shot the other Lombax a sarcastic look. "Just had to be sure, don't give me that look," Kepler pleaded, holding up his hands in mock surrender.

"Where is he?"

Kepler gave him a sheepish grin. "Uh... well... there's probably a scientist trying to hack into his head right now."

"What?!" Ratchet's heart did a nosedip as fear flooded the yellow Lombax's body. He stopped dead in his tracks.

Kepler turned back to find an angry-looking Lombax. The red Lombax backed up a bit. "Hey, we need to be very careful here! Even a fool would know why. Here, I'll go get Clank while you speak to Watchman."

"You better not lie to me!" Ratchet shouted, unbridled fury in his voice. "I swear, if any of you hurt him…"

Kepler shook his head. "Don't worry, I'll make sure your friend is safe and unharmed. But right now, we really need to get you to Watchman."

After a moment, Ratchet deflated where he stood. "Alright then. Show me the way to this Watchman guy. But seriously, if anything bad happens to Clank you guys are gonna be blown back to the Lombax Dimension, good guys or not. He's one of the few people I've got left to call a family and I can't imagine losing him."

Kepler nodded respectfully and waved his arm, and Ratchet once again followed behind him.

Ratchet looked ahead of them, and saw a small campsite. The tents were all in camouflage matching the colors of Fastoon's desert landscape, and Ratchet could see Lombaxes, all wearing the same armor that Kepler was wearing, walking around the campsite.

Kepler led Ratchet to one of the tents in the center of the campsite. "Welcome back sir!" the guard standing in front of the tent said, their voice disguised in the same voice morpher Kepler had. "I assume this means he's legitimate?" the guard asked, motioning toward Ratchet with their wrench-less hand.

As the guard talked, Ratchet immediately noticed something off. His eyes searched for what felt off, and then he noticed the lack of a tail. Combined with the curvier body type and the lack of tail (and with what Ratchet knew from his time with Angela Cross) it had to be a female Lombax.

"Yep, we're good, those lab tests we ran confirm it. Although, I think Watchman should speak with this Lombax in person. Trust me when I say he'll be interested," Kepler replied. He turned to Ratchet. "Go on in, Staff Sergeant Kate Eridani here will show you around. I'll go get your little friend."

Ratchet and Eridani entered the tent as Kepler walked away. Inside the tent were various complicated-looking machines, but the large monitor up ahead caught Ratchet's interest.

Eridani raised her hand and a second later the monitor turned on. A silhouette of a Lombax flashed onscreen, and after a moment a firm voice echoed out. "Unit Sierra-1, what is the meaning of this transmission?"

"We found a Lombax sir, and he checks out. According to Kepler, you should probably talk to him."

"Hmm... I recognize those eyes," Watchman said. "But where have I seen those eyes before? It must've been a long time ago."

Ratchet smiled. "Does the name 'Kaden' ring a bell?"

"Spot-on," Watchman confirmed, snapping his fingers and pointing at Ratchet. "How'd you know?"

"Kaden was my father." Ratchet was silent for a moment. "But I… never really knew him. He died after he hid the Dimensionator and sent me to Solana."

Watchman stayed silent. Then he spoke. "Staff Sergeant, disable the filter."

Eridani raised her hand again, and Watchman's face was revealed. He was an older Lombax, and he wore armor similar to the one Alister Azimuth had been wearing. Watchman had yellow fur and blue eyes that, despite their age, still radiated authority and wisdom.

Watchman saluted Ratchet. "General William Oort, five-bolt magistrate of the Lombax Praetorian Guard and direct supervisor of Operation Lima Charlie Hotel. And you, young one… has anyone ever told you that you look a lot like your father?"

Ratchet chuckled, a sense of déjà vu sweeping through him. "Yes, in fact."

Oort smiled at the younger Lombax. "I hope you've been making your late dad proud… Anyhow, seeing as you've been in this dimension longer than we have, you're probably more up-to-date. I would like to ask of you to tell me everything, how's it going with Polaris, but mostly, tell me about the current state of that scumbag Tachyon."

Ratchet's grin widened. "You won't have to worry about Tachyon anymore. I've left him behind in another dimension, so unless he managed to construct a new Dimensionator with his underpants, I doubt we'll be seeing him ever again. Polaris is now ruled by a new government, and the Polaris Defense Force is there for the safety of the galaxy. I'm actually on this planet on behalf of the PDF."

Oort's eyes lit up. "What?! Tachyon's gone?! Eridani, get everyone here, now!"

Kate saluted Oort and rushed out of the tent. A few minutes later a group of thirty Lombaxes, including Kate and Kepler, entered the tent. It became a bit crowded as all of armored Lombaxes turned their attention to the monitor.

"Alright, everyone listen up. Uh... young one, what was your name again?" Oort asked, looking at Ratchet.

"It's Ratchet, sir."

"Ratchet, step forward please."

Ratchet did as he was told.

"Lombaxes, meet the son of the great Kaden, Ratchet, who, and I can barely believe my own ears, single-handedly defeated Tachyon and brought peace back to Polaris."

A huge applause followed.

Oort motioned to Ratchet. "Ratchet, I'll give you the honors. Is it safe to proceed with mission Lima Charlie Hotel, yes or no?"

Ratchet looked back at the monitor, a confused look on his face. "I mean no disrespect sir, but what does it even stand for?"

Oort smiled. "It stands for 'Lombax Come Home.'"


End file.
